Higher Scientific Officer, Drug Discovery Biology (Target Evaluation & Molecular Therapeutics team)

Higher Scientific Officer, Drug Discovery Biology (Target Evaluation & Molecular Therapeutics team)

Salary: Commencement on the salary range is subject to comparable skills and experience. Future progression is based on annual performance review.

This role is eligible for ICR Sponsorship. Support will be provided for costs associated with Visa application. If you are considering relocating to the UK, further information can be found here .

Duration of Contract: Fixed Term for 2 years (in first instance)

Hours per week: 35 hours per week (Full Time)

Closing Date: 13th January 2025

We seek a Higher Scientific Officer within the Target Evaluation & Molecular Therapeutics (TEMT) team to carry out high-throughput cell-based screens and target validation assays to uncover potential therapeutic targets in cancer. Projects will involve the use of cancer cell lines treated with libraries of small molecules, targeted protein degraders and chemotherapeutics. Genetic perturbation techniques such as RNAi/CRISPR along with compound dose-response curves will be employed in combination with plated-based cancer viability assays. These experiments will generate key decision-making data for target ID and validation and enable target prioritisation for drug discovery.

Key Requirements

The successful candidate will be skilled in the development, implementation and quality control of high-throughput cell-based screening. Skills in arrayed or pooled cell-based screening, which may include small molecules and arrayed RNAi screening, and experience with compound dose-response assays, will be important in this role. Experience working with cell lines requiring different culturing conditions and knowledge in cancer biology will be essential. Moreover, prior experience in using molecular cell biology techniques for the assessment of target function and mechanism would be desirable. Finally, at least a Master's level qualification in Cell Biology or an aligned subject is required for this role, with a relevant PhD (or relevant industrial drug discovery experience) being desirable.

Department/Directorate Information

The Division of Cancer Therapeutics has an unrivalled track record at discovering novel cancer treatments for the personalised treatment of cancer. Within the Division, the Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery (CCDD) is a multidisciplinary 'bench to bedside' centre, comprising 160 staff dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. We are one of the largest academic cancer drug discovery groups in the world and, together with our collaborators, have discovered 21 preclinical development candidates, 13 of which have been progressed to clinical evaluation, many with our partners in the ICR/Royal Marsden Drug Development Unit. Our drug abiraterone (Zytiga) has been approved in the US, Canada and Europe for late-stage prostate cancer.

The CCDD's mission is to develop personalised medicines by translating information from the cancer genome and cancer biology into drugs for patient benefit. We implement innovative drug discovery technologies, discover novel mechanism-based drugs, and develop these as rapidly as possible from the laboratory through to hypothesis-testing early clinical trials. We publish our work extensively and have a large network of collaborations with academia, biotechnology companies, and the pharmaceutical industry. Our teams are dedicated to the discovery of small molecule drug candidates, and to the development of high quality chemical probes to enable new cancer biology research. The Division of Cancer Therapeutics is based in state-of-the art laboratories in the new £75m Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery building, opened in 2020 on the ICR Sutton campus.

We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Dr Justin Joachim via Email

About The Institute of Cancer Research

Why work for us?

As a member of staff, you'll have exclusive access to a range of staff benefits.

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The Institute of Cancer Research, London, is one of the world's most influential cancer research institutes, with an outstanding record of achievement dating back more than 100 years. Further information about working at the ICR can be found here .

We look forward to receiving applications from all candidates, wherever in the world they are currently based. We will select those who display the potential to become, or to support, the world leading cancer researchers of the future based on their application and performance at interview. However, we particularly welcome British applicants from black and ethnic minority backgrounds, as they are under-represented within the ICR and nationwide in STEM roles.